Transformation. It’s the key concept in our mission statement – “Homeward Pet transforms the lives of homeless dogs and cats…” – and with your support, it’s a word we’re able to put into practice every day.

Pepper was seized by Animal Control after reports of “acting aggressively”. Taken to the local municipal shelter, he remained fearful, anxious and extremely uncomfortable. He was nervous around new people. He crouched down, tail tucked between his legs. Or rushed the gate of his kennel when people he didn’t know approached.

He was a bit of a wreck health-wise. Chronic skin infections had left him with hair loss all over his body and lesions on his face and shoulder. He was suffering from allergies that had gone untreated and left his skin leathery and inflamed. He had a major ear infection and needed surgery to repair eyelids that turned in and irritated his eyes.

Pepper was brought to Homeward Pet for two reasons. First, so that we could continue his medical transformation. With twice-a-week medicated baths (he was such a good boy for his baths!), a special diet, ear cleaning, meds and lots of follow-up exams from our veterinarians, Pepper started looking and feeling like a whole new dog.

Secondly, our Behavior Program was well-suited to work with a dog that was anxious in unfamiliar situations, that needed slow introductions to new people, that would (hopefully) respond to a consistent, positive training plan. With a regular crew of staff and Behavior Team volunteers working with him every day, Pepper’s behavior started to change. He was less reactive. More trusting. He became the happy, goofy (and still very energetic!) dog that we’d only caught glimpses of at first.

Transformations don’t happen overnight. These big changes take time. Your support gives us that time.

Pepper was with us for two months of medical and behavioral care, and everything changed for him during his stay at Homeward Pet. He got healthy and strong, he enjoyed his time with people. But when Pepper was adopted, he underwent the biggest transformation of all, from homeless to cherished family member:

“We love Pepper so much! He fits right into our family and always makes us smile! He’s been loving going on walks every morning around the lake and sniffing out our whole backyard, watching the bunnies and deer. He also loves snuggling up on the bed and taking naps with me. He truly is such a sweet little guy.” ~ Stephanie

If you would like to help pups like Pepper who need that little extra bit of ongoing attention from our clinic, behavior team, and animal care staff while they wait for their new family, you can make your monthly Paw Pack donation on our site at https://homewardpet.ejoinme.org/pawpack

Monthly donors like you enable Homeward Pet to carry out our mission to provide the best care for the animals before uniting them with loving homes.  Questions about Paw Pack Giving?  Contact Annual Giving Manager, Alora by email at  or by phone at (425) 488-4444 x4013.

We want to take a moment to honor YOU. You are the volunteers, donors, adopters and supporters who make up the heart of Homeward Pet, and without our heart, we are nothing.

• If you are the friendly voice that answers the front phones, greet our guests, and places thank you and follow up calls, YOU are Homeward Pet
• If you are one of the caring souls that come in to feed, walk, cuddle, medicate, train and love on the cats and dogs that spend a brief time with us, YOU are Homeward Pet
• If you have volunteered your free time to come clean and sort and organize and build, YOU are Homeward Pet
• If you are one of the thousands of families who have come to adopt one of our homeless dogs and cats into your home and life, YOU are Homeward Pet
• If you’ve ever dug down deep to donate what we need, both monetarily and in goods and services, YOU are Homeward Pet
• If you are one of the organizations and businesses that sponsor and participate in our fundraisers and activities, YOU are Homeward Pet

If you have touched the lives of the humans and animals that spend time with Homeward, you have become an extension of all we do. Celebrate yourself – because we do!

Share your stories and photos on social media with the hashtag #IamHomewardPet

Instagram | Facebook | Linked In | Twitter | TikTok

November 5-7, 2021

Homeward Pet’s Paw Prints Art Auction features animal themed artwork from local artists. Register now and join us on November 5-7 to bid on prints, paintings, crafts, decor, and more!

Have some animal related works of art you’d like to swap out for something new? Click here to donate an item!

When everything turned virtual last year we looked for a way we could bring some joy to our supporters, and give animal lovers a new way to engage with their community! We partnered with local crafters, artists, and animal lovers to feature new and recycled animal themed artwork, perfect for updating your home decor or gifting to loved ones for the holidays.

We had such a great turnout, and so much fun partnering with the local creators in our community, that we thought it was worth continuing into a new year!

In this auction, you’ll see paintings and prints, figurines and photos, crafts and quilts, and even some DIY gift baskets! The style of art ranges from classical paintings to modern abstract, and there is sure to be something for just about everyone.

Stay tuned for more details over the coming weeks, and thank you for your interest not only in supporting our Paw Prints Art Auction, but for the support of all the homeless animals in our community that comes with your participation.

Ashley Ventura is a dog walker, dog room feeder/cleaner, foster parent, a member of the Homeward Pet Dog Behavior Team. She and her husband Tom have been volunteers at Homeward Pet for three years.

Ashley is no stranger to the importance of volunteering in the world of non-profit and animal welfare.  In addition to the time she gifts to Homeward Pet, and the foster work she does with Imagine Peace for Pups Rescue, Ashley is the VP on the Board of Directors for Rooster Haus Rescue, an organization dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and giving permanent sanctuary to neglected and abused farmed animals.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?  

Growing up, my family always had dogs, but they came from breeders and pet shops, so I didn’t learn about rescues and shelters until I was much older. I studied computer engineering at the University of Miami and accepted a job with Microsoft right before I graduated, which brought me to this area. I just had my ten-year anniversary with Microsoft where I work as a software engineer on gaming-related technologies.

Tell us a little about any pets in your household?

I share my home with my husband Tom (who is also a Homeward Pet volunteer!), our three dogs Spot, Gracie, and Buddy, and a very grumpy fat-tailed gecko named Euler [pronounced,, ‘Oiler’].

We adopted Spot from Homeward Pet almost three years ago. He came from Eastern Washington as a stray with a shattered toe and some very persuasive sad eyes. I took him home for a kennel break over the long Christmas weekend, and the rest is history. He’s a cattle dog / pit mix who gets along with everyone and loves to make new friends.

Gracie joined our family a few months later. She’s fearful of strangers, new situations, loud noises, sudden movements, and more… but she comes out of her shell around other dogs. She was supposed to be a longer-term foster while Spot taught her how to be a dog, but she bonded to him (and me) so strongly that I couldn’t imagine her living anywhere else. She still struggles with fear, but she’s come a long way since we met her. Most people think she’s a yellow lab mix, but she’s actually half Doberman and half pit (confirmed by two different DNA breed tests — I didn’t believe it at first either!).

Buddy is our most recent addition. He’s a a cattle dog / min pin mix who came to us as a foster in June 2021, through Imagine Peace for Pups Rescue. He’s three years old, 25 lbs, housetrained, low energy, low maintenance, great on leash, and good with dogs. After a very short time, it became obvious that our family couldn’t be full without him, and he was officially adopted by us in August.

How did you first get involved with volunteering at Homeward Pet?

I’ve always been a dog person and had thought about volunteering over the years, but I had the naïve impression that being around shelter dogs would be too heartbreaking. In 2018, I unexpectedly and suddenly lost all three of my dogs to various illnesses, and my house became unbearably quiet and empty. I had a friend who had talked about volunteering with the dogs at Homeward Pet, and I really needed to be around dogs and find a new purpose, so I signed up as a dog care volunteer.

Tell us about your volunteer experience with Homeward Pet?  

I started as a dog feeder/cleaner. It doesn’t sound glamorous but being a feeder/cleaner meant that I got to interact with all of the dogs in the shelter on any given shift and ensure that their basic needs were met.

After a few months of feeding and cleaning, I trained as a dog walker, and continued to perform both roles a few times a week.

Finally, after volunteering for about a year, I joined the Dog Behavior Team (DBT) at the end of 2019. As a DBT volunteer, I work with the dogs who need a little extra attention to ensure that they have successful adoptions: the rowdy and rambunctious dogs, the shy and fearful ones, the reactive ones. Each DBT dog has an individualized plan that we use during training sessions to focus on the areas that need the most behavior modification. These dogs tend to have longer stays at the shelter, and can be challenging to work with, but it’s so rewarding to build relationships with them and see them make progress and eventually find the right homes.

I’m also a foster volunteer! Working from home during COVID-19 has made it so much easier for me to foster. I love that Homeward Pet’s foster program has expanded so much over the past year, so that most animals awaiting adoption are able to spend that in-between time in a home environment where there’s less stress than a shelter. Fostering is a way that my own three can volunteer as well – as foster siblings!

As you think back on your time as a volunteer do you have any memories that stand out?

When things first shut down due to COVID-19, most of the animals in the shelter were sent to foster homes. There was one behavior team dog, Sam, who stayed at the shelter. She was the only dog in the shelter for several months, and she got to go on all kinds of fun outings and field trips with a different volunteer every day. Sam loved to play with other dogs but her play style was a little too intense for most dogs. My dog Spot loves to wrestle hard too, so I asked and got the green light to bring him into the shelter for play dates and walks with Sam during this time. I love that Spot, who is a Homeward Pet alum himself, got the opportunity to volunteer with me and make Sam’s stay at the shelter a little more fun.

Why is volunteering at Homeward Pet important to you?

I feel like a lot of people have outdated assumptions about adoptable dogs and shelters — that they’re all damaged goods with behavioral problems living in sad places until someone can “rescue” them. I think it’s important to be able to show people first-hand that these stereotypes just aren’t true. I love sharing happy stories and pictures from the time I spend volunteering. I also love being able to make a positive difference in the lives of the dogs that come through the shelter.

Another strong motivator that got me started volunteering, and has kept me going, is my employer’s generous matching benefit. Not only do they match cash donations, but they also match my volunteer time by directly paying the organization for the time that I spend volunteering. It’s amazing to know that my actions can have an even greater impact. I would encourage everyone to see if their employers offer this amazing benefit.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about volunteering at Homeward Pet?

Set aside any preconceived notions you might have and give it a try! There’s a great support system of mentors for new volunteers, and all the staff members and volunteers I’ve worked with over the years have been so welcoming and helpful. Some of my closest friends today are people that I’ve met while volunteering at Homeward Pet. And if hands-on animal care isn’t for you, there are so many other ways you can help: reception, facilities, making phone calls, writing thank you letters, helping prep for events, picking up donations for the pet food bank… there’s a volunteer opportunity for everyone.

I’m grateful that I live so close to such an amazing organization. Homeward Pet is doing cutting edge things when it comes to progressive and novel approaches to rescue, and I’m so humbled that I can be a small part of it.

#IAMHOMEWARDPET